Banding machine



Aug. 29, 1944. E. R. WEJRKMAN BANDING MACHINE Fil ed Oct. 2, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet l J WM Aug. 29, 1944.

E. R. WORKMAN 2,356,904

BANDING MACHINE Filed 001:. 2, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 29, 1944. E. R. WORKMAN BANDING MACHINE Filed Oct. 2, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 @1767)??? mzywm'wfmw My, JW/ 1%? Patented Aug. 29, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT orrica BANDING MACHINE Ernest Robert Workman, Chicago, 111. Application October 2, 1940, Serial No. 359,334

23 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in banding machines. The invention is primarily concerned with a banding machine of the type in which a wire is formed into a banding loop within which an object is positioned and bound by subsequent contraction of the loop, and having means for securing the ends of the contracted loop to complete the tie.

In my application Serial No. 271,435, filed May 3, 1939, I have disclosed a banding machine having a rotatable reel of wire which is adapted to be rotated in one direction to supply a suitable length of wire to form the banding loop and upon contraction of the banding loop around the object being bound, the direction of rotation of the rotatable reel is reversed to take up the slack or excess wire. It will be seen that it is necessary to overcome the inertia of the mass of the supply wire upon both the feeding and contracting operations, and is objectionable from the standpoint that the speed of operation of the machine is thereby limited.

It is further known in the art to provide a rotatable reel of wire supply and a take-up mechanism comprising an arrangement of pulleys about which the wire is trained and having means for shifting the pulleys relative to each other to take up the slack. In devices of this type, the pulley arrangement is provided intermediate the rotatable supply reel and the means for forming the banding loop, brake means being provided adjacent the rotatable reel for tensioning the wire so that the relative shifting of the pulleys operates initially to take up the slack and thereafter withdraws from the reel' a length of wire which together with the slack will be suilicient to form the next succeeding banding loop. So far as I am aware, prior mechanisms all require the use of a rotatable source of supply which must be stopped and started intermittently and are therefore objectionable since they are slow in operation.

Further, as the wire is consumed, the load gradually diminishes and the work required to be performed by the machine and take-up mechanisms is not uniform. This condition is obviously unsatisfactory.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide meanswhich will permit the use of a stationary source of wire supply.

Another object is to provide improved means for guiding the wire in position upon the object being bound.

Another object is toprovide improved take-up means for taking up the slack or excess wire without returning the same to the source of supply.

A further important object is to provide a take-up means which is suitable for use with either a stationary or rotatable source of wire u ply.

I propose, according to my present invention, to suitably support a stationary coil or reel of wire upon the banding machine in a position in which the wire may be withdrawn in a continuous strand by the wire feeding means of the machine. The feeding means is adapted to withdraw wire from the reel of a length suflicient to form the banding loop and since the mass of such a length of wire is negligible the machine may function more rapidly than the machines of the prior art. Likewise, in taking up the slack wire during the contracting operation only the slack wire moves and the take-up means of the present invention is adapted to take up the wire as rapidly as the reverse feeding of the wire is accomplished by the feed rolls. The wire which is withdrawn from the reel will have a torsion strain imparted to it since the supply reel is not free to rotate.

It is a feature of this invention to provide means which are adapted to prevent the torsion strain present in the wire from causing it to snarl or knot in the feeding and taking-up operations or in causing the contracted banding loop from being drawn in an askew position upon the object being bound.

More specifically, it is a feature to provide a guide means adjacent the means for forming the banding loop for guiding the banding loop until it is substantially completely contracted about the object being bound.

A further feature is to provide a take-up means which functions completely independently of the source of supply in taking up the slack wire during the contracting operation.

A further feature is to provide a take-up means having a stationary guide member for directing the slack in a predetermined path without returning the wire to the supp y source.

A more specific structural feature is the provision of a pivotally mounted guide member adjacent the banding loop which is movable inwardly toward the object being bound until the banding loop is substantially completely contracted about the object, the guide member then being adapted to release the wire and return to its normal position. If desired more than one guide member of the character noted may be employed.

A more specific structural feature of the takeup means of my invention is the provision of a tubular member adjacent the stationary guide for storing the slack wire to prevent the torsion strain present in the wire from causing it to kink or knot. The tubular member is further provided with suitable holding means to aid in accomplishing the purpose noted and which also has the further purpose of preventing return of the slack wire to the supply reel.

Now, in order to acquaint those skilled in the art with the manner of constructing and operating my invention, I shall describe, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, a specific embodiment of the same.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a banding machine embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the take-up mechanism partly broken away and showing the supply reel and container therefor in section;

Figure 3 is a detail section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a section taken substantially on line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the sheave about which the wire from the supply is trained, the housing in which the sheave is mounted with a portion -of the removable cover therefor broken away and showing in dotted lines the guide member for deflecting the slack wire;

Figure 6 is an end elevation of the device of Figure 5 looking from the left;

Figure 7 is a section taken on the line 1| of Figure 2;

Figure 8 is a section taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 2;

t Figure 9 is a view taken substantially on the line 99 of Figure 2;

Figure 10 is a top plan view of the control mechanism showing the wire feeding rolls and the gripping and welding jaws of a banding machine;

Figure 11 is a sideelevation showing the control mechanism with the magnetic drive clutches for driving the feed rolls shown in section;

Figure 12 is a detail side elevation of the electrical control panel for the magnetic drive clutches; v

Figure 13 is an elevation showing the reverse side of the control panel;

Figure 14 is a detail section taken on the line ll-H of Figure 13;'

Figure 15 is a detail section on the line I5-|5 of Figure 1, showing the pair of gripper jaws for holding the leading end of the wire in the banding loop and the cam for actuating these jaw members;

Figure 16 is a detail section taken on the line |6I8 of Figure 10 showing the initial relation of the control unit to the raceway in forming a loop thereon;

Figure 17 is a section similar to Figure 16 showing the relative position of the ends of the loop after the shearing operation and before welding of the ends of the contracted loop;

Figure 18 is a detail section on the same plane as Figures 16 and 17 showing the ends of the loop after welding;

Figure 19 is a detail cross section of the yielding portion of the raceway which provides an escape for the excess wire in forming the banding 1001 Figure 20 is a detail section taken on the line 20-20 of Figure 1 showing the cam mechanism for actuating the other pair of gripper jaws;

- the frame by means of brackets lli.

Figure 21 is a, detail section showing the shearing blade for severing the contracted loop from the source of supply and its actuating mechanism;

Figure 22 is an end elevation of the control unit showing the cam action for tensioning the band takensubstantially on the line 22-22 of Figure 11;

Figure 23 is a perspective view of a package to which a number of bands have been applied by the machine and method of the present invention;

Figure 24 is a plan view of the machine of Figure 1;

Figure 25 is a side elevation, largely diagrammatic, of a modified form of take-up means for taking up fiat wire and incorporated with a rotatable source of wire supply;

, Figure 26 is a section taken on the line 2626 of Figure 25; and

Figure 27 is a transverse section of a modified form of raceway suitable for use with flat wire.

Referring now to Figure 1 of the drawings, I have shown the present invention applied to a banding machine of the type disclosed in my pending application Serial No. 271,435, filed May 3, 1939. This machine comprises a frame I, having a supporting platform 2 for supporting an object such as a box 3, indicated in dotted lines, in position to have a band applied to it by the machine. A source of wire supply 4 is provided which in the present embodiment of my invention comprises a stationary reel of wire 5, the reel being formed so that it may be withdrawn in a continuous strand 6, beginning from the inner periphery of the reel and working outwardly until the reel of wire has been completely withdrawn whereupon a new reel is inserted. The reel 5 is disposed within a sheet metal container I, having an opening centrally of its base and a throat or neck 8 through which the continuous strand 6 is adapted to be withdrawn. A weight H rests upon the reel for retaining it within the container. The container is suitably mounted upon The wire 6 is trained about a sheave I2- and then to and through a suitable feed mechanism l5 driven by a motor l3. This feeding means advances the wire around a circular track or raceway H which, as will be seen in Figure 1, encircles a box or other object to be banded.

The feed mechanism I5 is mounted in and carried by a sub-frame [6 which is suspended from the main frame by links H. Reference may now be had to Figure 10 from which it will be seen that a series of feed rollers iii are journaled in the sub-frame l6 shown geared together in pairs and connected by idler gears IS with a final drive connection by a pinion 20, so that the simultaneous rotation of the rollers 18 engaging both sides of the wire 6, operates to feed the wire from the reel 5 to the curved raceway II, for one full circuit thereof in preparation for the banding operation. The main frame I comprises two similar side frames I (see Figure 24), which are spaced apart a suitable distance to provide a path for the wire between them, and the lower portion of the raceway H also fits between these side members. When the box or other object 3 is placed upon the platform 2, the raceway ll supports the wire 6 in a loop which extends under and over the object. The raceway ll comprises a flat cylindrical band 2| having a groove or channel 23 for the wire 6. A laterally slidable cover member 21 normally closes the groove 23 and the cover is yieldingly held in closed position by spring fingers 25 formed integrally with the cover member 24. The end of the member 24 adjacent the groove 23 is beveled so-that upon reversal of the wire feeding means for' contracting the wire about a box or package, the wire will engage the beveled end of the spring member 24 and force this member back against the spring lingers 24, whereupon the wire is drawn out of the groove 23. After the wire 3 has been withdrawn, the spring fingers 25 return the cover member 24 to closed position.

The wire is fed around the raceway i4 until its free end is arrested by an upstanding stop 21 (see Figure and the end portion of the wire is then firmly gripped by a pair of jaws 28 and 29 and the direction of the feed rolls I3 is reversed drawing the wire out of the raceway, as above described, until it is pulled tightly around the object 3. The final portion of the raceway leading toward thestop 21 is flexible, so that, although it isanchored to the top of the frame I 6, it will permit the frame to be swung about its pivoted support 30 to a substantially horizontal position directly under the object 3 and just below the plane of the platform. This permits the wire to be drawn tightly around the object.- v p Mounted upon the raceway i4 adjacent the flexible end thereof is a bracket 3| in which a guide member 32 is pivotally mounted for receiving the wire 6 after it has been withdrawn from the raceway for guiding the banding loop in position upon the object 3 This guide niember comprises a pair of arm members 33 and 34 preferably made of spring metal and bowed toward each other so that the ends opposite their pivotal mounting in the bracket 3| yieldingly engage each other. Thearms "and 34 have fixed thereto outwardly flared guide members 35. A dashpot 38 of any suitable construction is connected at one end to 9. depending lug I1 of the guide member 32 and at its other end to 'a bracket secured uponfthe raceway l4 adjacent the frame I of the machine A spring 33 in the dashpot normally retains the guide memher in the vertical position shown in Figure 1,

with the flared guide members 35 in engage-- ment with the inner surface of the raceway. Upon reversal of the feeding rolls to withdraw the wire from the raceway, the wire will be disposed between the guide arms 33 and 34 and-upon contraction of the banding loop the guide arms wili assure that the loop will not be contracted in an askew position upon the object. Movement of the guide arms will be arrested upon the engagement thereof with the object 3 or by reaching their limit of movement as determined by the dashpot, whereupon the continued contraction of the banding loop will withdraw the wire from between the yleldingly engaging ends of the guide members at a point in which contrac-' tion of the banding loop is substantially completed. The guide means just describTa'd is of particular value, since with a stationary source of supply a torsion strain or twist is imparted to the wire, which when withdrawn from the raceway, might readily result in the banding loop being disposed laterally angularly across the object which is obviously objectionable. After the guide arms 33 and 3.4 have released the wire, they are returned to their initial position by the spring 39 disposed within the dashpot. It will be obvious that, if desired, a plurality of guide members 33 as above described my be disposed at different positions upon the raceway l4.

The. take-up means for taking up the slack wire upon contracting of the banding loop will now be described and reference may be had to Figure 2 and Figures 5 through 9. As has already been noted, the wire 6 is trained about a sheave l2 and is withdrawn from the stationary reel by the feeding rolls I 8. The sheave I2 is rotatably mounted in a housing 40, which is suitably secured to the main frame I of the machine. This housing comprises a wall member 4| in which is fixed a stud 42 about which the sheave i2 is rotatably mounted. Secured to the wall member 4| adjacent the sheave I2 is a stationary guide member 43, the upper inner edge 44 of which extends horizontally above the sheave and a vertical inner edge 45 to one side of the sheave, which edges 44 and 45 are connected by a curved inner edge 46 concentric with the sheave II. A vertical bar 48 is disposed along the other vertical edge of the wall 4!. A guide sleeve 49 is secured as by welding to the upper edge of'the bar 48 and the wall 4|. A coil spring II is secured to the guide sleeve 49 for directing the wire to the feed rolls ID. The spring 5i provides the necessary flexibility between the guide sleeve 49 and the frame IE to permit the frame to be swung into position beneath the object 3 when the ends of the wire are to be welded as will more fully appear hereinafter. Obviously, other means than a coil spring may be employed. if desired. A horizontally disposed bar 50 is fixed across the upper horizontal edge of the guide member '43 and is terminated short of the edge of the wall 4! adjacent the guide sleeve 49 to provide a space 52 through which the wire 8 passes from the supply reel 5 to and about the sheave l2. A second horizontal bar 53 is fixed adjacent the lower end of bar 48 and the guide member 48. The horizontal bars 50 and 53 are provided with slots 55 along their inner edges toreceive a slidable cover 56 for closing the housing. It will be .seen that a housing is provided for the sheave which is open at its bottom adjacent the sheave, as at 51.

A slack tube 59 is'disposed adjacent the housing 40 at the lower open end thereof. The slack tube comprises a pair of suitably curved side 'plate members .60 and 61 which are spaced apart a distance preferably'cnlyslightly in excess of the diameter of the wire 6 by a lower spacing strip 62, which is suitably fixed to the plate members along theirbottom edges. Along their upper edges the plate members are spaced apart and secured together by a number of suitably curved spacing strips 63. The portions of the plate members and BI, intermediate adjacent spacing strips 63, are provided with cuts extending inwardly of the tube, and these portions of the side plates are pinched inwardly toward each other to provide a plurality of holding means 64 for the wire when it is disposed within the slack tube, the purpose of which will'more fully appear hereinafter. The upper ends of the plate members 30 and BI are flared outwardly and are secured to the lower end of the wall member 4i and the bar 53, respectively, adjacent the open end 51 of the housing 40.

Now, when the direction of the feed rolls is reversed to contract the banding loop, a compression force will be exerted upon the wire by the rolls and the direction of rotation of the sheave l2.will be reversed. The wire 6 will then be forced against the inner arcuate edge 46, and the inner vertical edge 45 of the guide member or plate 48. The wire 8 will slide along the inner vertical edge 45 and willbe directed through the opening 51 in the bottom of the housing and into th tubular take-up tube 58, in an elongated loop 65. The guide member 83 thusdirects the wire off of the sheave l2 and into the tubular member 59, the wire sliding along the inner edge of the spacing member 62 and then through a substantially semi-circular and loop and into engagement with the upper spacing strips 83 where the wire will force the bent-in portions 84 of the side plates 60 and GI between the spacing strips 83 slightly outwardly andwill be yieldingly held thereby. The take-up tube 59 is of sumcient length to take up the wire slack for the smallest object for which the machine is designed. Since the space between the side plates 68 and GI is of a distance approximately equal to the diameter of the wire and since the wire is held at spaced intervals along the upper edge of the tube, the wire will not be free to snarl or kink or return to the supply reel. When the feed rolls again operate to feed wire about the circular raceway M, the wire along the lower spacing strip 62 will be under tension and will be withdrawn from the tube. The yieldable holding means 64 beginning with the one adjacent the semi-circular end of the elongated slack loop will successively release the wire and when the wire has been completely withdrawn from the slack tube further wire will be taken off of the supply reel 5.

From the above, it will be apparent that a stationary reel of wire as a source of supply may be employed and that the additional load of overcoming the inertia of a rotatable supply reel, for supply or take-up purposes is completely avoided. As has been noted already the stationary supply reel will impart a torsion strain to the wire as it is withdrawn, but the take-up means and the movable guide means described are efl'ective to prevent the wire from knotting or being disposed in an askew position upon the object.

Any suitable mechanism may be employed for the reversible drive of the feed rolls. One suitable mechanism for this purpose is disclosed in my above mentioned application and is illustrated in the present application in Figure 11 of the drawings. It consists of a pair of magnetic clutches which may be alternately energized, and which are simultaneously driven in opposite directions so that either one may be caused to pick up the drive of the feed rolls by the mere throwing of a switch. The drive gear 20 is carried by a shaft 10, having fixed thereon a disk or flange ll of magnetic metal, such as steel. Adjacent opposite faces of the disk H there are loosely journaled on the shaft the electromagnets I2 and 13, respectively, each having a hollow, annular space containing a winding 14, with annular retaining plates and I6 which are spaced apart radially to form an annular magnetic gap 11, directly adjacent the disk II. when either of the coils 14 is energized, the part II thus becomes a magnetic armature and is magnetically attracted and rotated by the magnet whose coil is energized.

The upper end of the magnet 12 is beveled and has secured to it in electrically insulated relation an oppositely beveled ring 18, which may be of copper or other electrically conductive material so as to serve as a contact ring in circuit with the coil 14 of the magnet 12. The opposing beveled surfaces of the magnet I2, and the ring 18, form a grooved pulley for a drive belt 19.

The lower end of the magnet 18 is likewise beveled and has affixed to it in insulated relation an electrically conductive ring 80, which is electrically connected with the coil 14, of the magnet 18. The drive belt 19, which extends from a pulley 8|, on the shaft of the driving motor l8, passes around the pulley portions of the clutches 12 and I3, and thence around a pulley 82,;Iournaled on the frame 16. The upper and lower plies of the belt 19, traveling in opposite directions, thus rotate the clutch members 12 and 18, in opposite directions, respectively, and the flange II and shaft 10 will be driven by one or the other of said clutch members, depending on which clutch has its coil 64, electrically energized.

Contact brushes 83 and 84 en age respectively the fiat surfaces of the conductor rings 18 and 80, and extend from a panel 85, of insulating material. A contact finger 86 on the inner face of the panel, leads from the brush 83 and include:

a laterally offset portion 81, which overlaps am. normally contacts an adjacent finger 88 on thpanel 85. A lead wire 88 connected with a source of current supply thus normally energizes the upper clutch I2 by way of contact members 88, 86, and brush 83.

The pulley 82 drives a worm 90, meshing witl V a worm gear 9|, which, through an intermediate set of gears mounted on the outer end of the frame l6, drives a cam shaft 92 by which the various movements and operations of the banding cycle are controlled. A cam 83 on the shaft, engages the contact finger 88, and for a proper portion of its revolution forces the finger out of contact with the overlapping lug 81, and into contact with a terminal screw 94, which is electrically connected with the brush 84. When this occurs the circuit in the coil of the magnetic clutch 12 is opened, but the coil of the clutch 13 is energized for driving the flange II and its shaft 10 in the opposite direction. As shown, the clutch 13 thus operates rolls l8 to advance the wire around the raceway H, in position to encircle the box or package 3, and the other clutch I2 serves to retract the wire under. compression for tightening it around the object before its ends are permanently joined.

The cam shaft 82 includes a cam with which there is associated a follower 86 on a lever 91, which carries at its upper end the movable Jaw 28, cooperating with the fixed jaw 29 to engage the free end of the wire 6. Pressure between the jaws is maintained by a spring 98, acting against the arm 91, as seen in Figure 15. After the wire has been fed around the raceway I4, and its end has been arrested by the stop 21, the cam 95 allows the spring 98 to close the jaws 28, 28 upon the end portion of the wire; the feed can then be reversed for the tensioning operation.

As disclosed in my above mentioned application, the cycle is preferably interrupted at this point; if a package is then placed on the platform 2, the first operation will be the fitting and tensioning of the wire. This involves pulling the wire out of control of the raceway, until it is drawn snugly about the object 3. While this fitting of the wire loop around the object 3 is taking place, a. crank Hill on the end of the control shaft 92 is rotated against a fixed shoulder l8l so as to swing the frame I5 about its p votal mounting at 30 into a substantially horizontal position, and the final pull of the tensioning operation will result in moving the frame I6 and its motor i3 bodily in horizontal direction, as permitted by the swinging links I1, which support these parts. This brings the gripping laws 28 and 29 up close to the bottom of the box or package 3 at the plane 'of the platform frame members 2; and when thetensloning operation is completed the magnetic clutch 12 maycontinue to turn until its current supply is cut off at a Predetermined point in the cycle, but the fact that its connection with the flange H and shaft 10 is wholly magnetic permits the clutch to slip after the wire has been drawn tight. The final pull exerted on the wire is thus determined by the strength of the magnetic pull, and this may be regulated by means of an adjustable rheostat I02 mounted on the panel board 85, and connected between the binding post I03 of the finger 88, and the brush 83, through which the current is supplied to the clutch 12.

As seen in Figure 16, the wire 6 is fed from the rollers I8 through a guide sleeve or thimble 104, which has one end fitted into a countersunk recess I05 in a plate I06 which is mounted for limited vertical reciprocation in the frame I8. Through a small hole in the plate I06, which registers with the bore of the guide sleeve I04, the wire passes between a second pair of jaws I01, ms and thence to the raceway. The initial portion of the raceway consists of a pair of plates I09, offset to form shoulders IIO, which provide a track for the wire when the members I09 are held closely together. The members I09 thus form a bridge leading to the raceway proper I4, and when the end of the wire 8 has traversed the raceway, it is arrested by the upstanding stop portion 21 formed at the upper end of the plate I06, as seen in Figure 16. I have found that, particularly when the wire is fed at a considerable speed by the rolls I8, it is rather diflicult to arrest this movement instantly upon arrival of the end of the wire against the stop shoulder 21; therefore, the plates I09 forming the initial bridge portion of the raceway are held together by spring arms III so that they may yield laterally to provide an escape for the excess length of wire, allowing it to pass between the shoulders IIO forming a downwardly deflected loop at 6 which remains until the reverse movement of the rolls I8 for tensioning the wire takes up this slack.

When the reverse rotation of the feed rolls I8 is completed and the wire is drawn tight about the object 3, the second pair of jaws I01, I08 is caused to grip the wire through the action of a spring H4 and cam II5 operating a lever IIB, which carries the jaw I08 and controls it in the same manner that the lever 91 controls the jaw 28.

Under the control of the cam shaft 92, the plate I09 is now drawn downward to the position shown in Figure 17 carrying with it the movably mounted sleeve or thimble I04, and the portion of the wire contained within it, but carrying this portion of the wire past a shear plate I I1 which cuts it free of the loop encircling the object 3. This movement of the plate I06 is controlled by cam II8 on the shaft 92, operating through the medium of a rocker I I9. The downward movement of the plate I08 incidentally withdraws the stop shoulder 21 from the end portion of the wire just beyond the gripping jaws 28 and 29. The sheared end of the wire gripped by jaws I01 and I08 is now shifted upward into alignment with the other end by the force of a lift spring I 20 which, as shown in Figure 20, serves to elevate the insulated Jaw-supporting carriage I2I on which the lever H8 is fulcrumed. This lift is timed by the operation of a cam I 22 on the shaft 92 actuating a rocker I23.

A bolt fixed to the lower end of the carriage I 2| extends through a spring I 20, and fits loosely in an opening in the sub-frame. A pair of adlusting nuts are threaded on the lower end of the bolt and limit upward movement of the carriage by the spring I20. This bolt positions the lower end of the carriage, and limited movement of the bolt in the opening of the sub-frame permits limited horizontal movement of the upper end of the carriage. Movement of the upper end of the carriage in a transverse direction is prevented by the links I25, which are slidably mounted between the carriage and projections of the sub-frame, but these links are pivoted at one end to the carriage and at the other'end to the lever I 24, and serve to move the upper end of the carriage horizontally when the lever I24 is acted on by the cam I29, and the spring I28. The carriage is therefore held suspended in a floating position by the spring I20, and the links I25. and is subject to movement by the cams I22 and I29, acting on levers I23 and I24 respectively.

As the final preparation for the welding of the two ends of the wire, the jaws I01, I08 are moved toward the jaws 28, 29 so as to bring the severed ends of the wire into actual contact under pressure exerted by spring I28. The lower end of carriage I2I on which these jaws are mounted, is supported upon, but insulated from, the spring I20 and is movable vertically under control of the rocker lever I23. The position of the upper end of this carriage is further controlled horizontally by links I25 of insulating material, extending from the upper portion of the carriage to a lever I24, which is fulcrumed on the subframe I8 at m. The lower end bf the lever is controlled by a spring I 28 and a face cam I29, the cam being mounted on the end of the shaft 92 so that actuation of the lever and corresponding movement of the jaws I01, I08 is timed and controlled by the rotation of the shaft 92. When the wire 8 has been sheared by downward movement of the plate I05, the cams on the shaft 92 are so timed as to operate the jaws I 01, I 08 for gripping the severed end of the wire and to operate the rocker I23, so as to permit the jaws I01, I08 to rise and align the end of the wire with the opposite end which is already held by the jaws 28, 29. A lead wire I30 carries the welding current to the Insulated carriage I2I and jaws I01, I08 carried upon it, the other side of the welding circuit being grounded through the frame of the machine and thus extending to the other gripping jaws 28, 29. Thus, with the opposite ends of the wire loop in alignment, as shown in Figure 18, it is only necessary to move these ends into abutting relation and to allow the force of the spring I28 to press them together in order to effect the welding operation. For this purpose the feed wire I30 is momentarily energized through the operation of a cam I32 on the shaft 92, and a contact finger I33 supported on the panel board 85 and actuated by the cam I32.

A feed wire I3I, seen on the panel board in Figure 12, may be understood as extending from a suitable transformer I34, which furnishes the welding current at the desired voltage. The finished weld is indicated at I35 in Figure 18.

As soon 'as the weld has been formed, the weld ing current is cut ofi by operation of the cam I32, but the motor I3 continues to drive the cam shaft 92 for actuating the crank I 00 and lowering the swinging frame I8 back to its initial inclined position; simultaneously, the cams 95 and H operate to release the gripper jaws so that the tensioned and welded band is left on the box or package 3, while the feeding and welding mechanism withdraws downwardly from it. The motor I3 continues to run until itscurrent supply is cut off by operation of a cam I36 on the shaft 92, actuating a contact finger I31 on the panel board 85.

Preferably, the control cams on the shaft 92 are arranged so that the cycle of operation terminates with the feeding of a length of wire around the raceway I4 to the stop 21 under control of the magnetic clutch 12, as already described. If this is made the last step of the cycle it can take place while the banded package at 3 is being removed from the machine and while another box or package is being shifted onto the platform 2. Then, immediately after the new package is in position, the cycle of operations can be repeated and will commence with the contracting of the wire onto the Object at 3, without any delay which would otherwise be occasioned if the raceway I4 were not filled with a loop of wire until after the object was placed on the platform. This arrangement of the cycle thus secures extremely efficient operation in that the time consumed bythe operator in removing a banded box and replacing it with one to be banded, is utilized by the machine itself in refilling the raceway with wire.

It may be understood that any suitable manually operable switch may be. connected in the motor circuit for temporarily bridging the gap which occurs when the contact finger I31 is moved to open circuit position by its control cam I36 and this cam I36 may be so shaped that it will maintain the motor circuit through all but a few degrees of its revolution so that promptly after the manually operable starting switch (not shown) is actuated, the motor circuit will be reestablished by the contact finger I31. Then the motor will continue to run until the completion of the step of the cycle which consists in filling the raceway I4 with wire, and will be arrested substantially at the moment when the current is shifted from the magnetic clutch 13 to clutch 12. Thus when the motor circuit is manually reestablished, the clutch 12 will commence the operation of driving the feed rolls in their reverse direction for contracting the loop of wire 5 onto the object at 3. Following this step, both magnets will be deenergized so as to avoid any movement of the wire during the severing and welding operations. This is accomplished by providing the cam 93 with a delay surface II3 with which the finger 88 is shown in contact in Figure 14, so that it is held out of contact with the terminal 84, and also out of engagement with the part 81. In the drawings a transformer I40 and a rectifier I4I are shown, which may be understood as serving to provide direct current at the proper voltage for operation of the clutches 12 and 13. However, for the sake of clarity, the conductors connecting these elements and also conductors from the welding transformer I24 and for the motor I 3 are omitted from the drawings, since suitable connections between these elements will be readily understood and arranged by those skilled in the art.

The object or package 3 is shown in Figure 23 as having three banding loops applied thereabout.

As has already been noted, the strand of wire as it is withdrawn from the stationary reel will have a torsion strain imparted to it and this torsion strain is present in the wire even after the butt weld joint I35 has been made, since at no time is the wire permitted to move so as to free itself of this strain.

It is contemplated that other guide means than the guide member 33 for guiding the wire upon the object may be employed in the broader aspects of this invention. For example, if desired, slide members operating substantially radially inwardly of the raceway may be used.

Referring now to Figures 25 and 26, I have shown a modified form of take-up means I45 that is suitable for use with a rotatable source of wire supply which comprises a reel I41 of flat wire I48, the reel I41 being mounted for rotation about a shaft I49 which may be mounted upon or adjacent to a banding machine in any suitable manner. The flat wire I48 is trained about a sheave I50 rotatably mounted upon a shaft I5I, fixed to the wall I52 of a suitable housing I53. A second sheave I54 is rotatably mounted upon a shaft I55 which is also fixed to the wall I52 and is spaced from sheave I50 to permit the wire to pass therebetween and through a guide sleeve I53 secured at one end to the housing I53 as by welding. A coil spring I50 is suitably secured to the other end of sleeve I58 to provide flexibility between the guide sleeve and any suitable wire feeding mechanism. The housing I53 is of a width sufficient to accommodate the fiat wire and sheaves I50 and I54 and is provided, similar to the previous embodiment, with horizontally extending upper and lower bars I59 and I60, respectively, which are provided with grooves I6I to receive a suitable cover member to close the housing, A slack take-up tube I82 extends upwardly through the lower end of housing I53 and is open at its end adjacent the sheave I50. Upon movement of the wire in a direction opposite the direction of withdrawal, the wire I48 will be directed into the tube I82, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 25. When the direction of the wire is subsequently withdrawn in the fed direction, the wire in the slack tube will be first withdrawn and when it comes into contact with the sheave I50, further wire will be withdrawn from the supply reel I41.

In Figure 27, I have shown a modified form of raceway I4 suitable for use in forming the banding loop when flat wire is to be used for banding an object. In this construction the circular floor I of the raceway has secured to it a pair of sheet metal flanges I56 which are doubled upon themselves and formed with inclined terminal portions I61 for engaging the edges of the flat wire I48. The doubled formation of the flanges I66 permits them to yield laterally at their inclined terminals I61 sufficiently to allow the wire I43 to be withdrawn for tensioning it around an object disposed upon the latform of a bonding machine.

While the present invention has been disclosed with reference to a banding machine, it will be understood that it is applicable to other mechanisms and that the structural features of the preferred embodiment disclosed are only illustrative and not limiting within the broader aspects of my invention.

I claim:

1. In combination, means for withdrawing wire forwardly from a supply and subsequently reversing the direction of movement of the wire,

a tubular member, and guide means adapted upon the reverse movement of the wire for deflecting the wire into said tubular member.

2. In combination, a means for withdrawing wire forwardly from a supply and subsequently reversing the direction of movement of the wire, a tubular member, guide means adapted upon the reverse movement of the wire for deflecting the wire into said tubular member, and holding means associated with said tubular member for yieldingly retaining the wire therein.

3. In combination, means for feeding wire to a position of use and for retracting the excess wire required at said position, and guide means adapted to be engaged by said excess wire, said guide means deflecting said excess wire in a predetermined path by the exertion of a compression force on said excess wire by said first means reacting against said guide means.

4. In a banding machine, apparatus for withdrawing wire from a supply to form a banding loop and for contracting the loop about an object disposed therein, guide means movable in the plane of the contracting loop for guiding the latter upon the object, and take-up means for' taking up the slack in the wire upon the contracting operation, said take-up means comprising a guide adapted to be engaged by the slack wire to deflect the same in a predetermined path by the exertion of a compression force on said wire by said apparatus reacting against said uide.

5. In a banding machine, apparatus including a raceway for forming wire in a banding loop, said apparatus being adapted to withdraw the loop from said raceway and contract the same about an object positioned therein, and guide means for guiding the loop from said raceway t the object movably mounted so that the path of each moving point thereof is in a plane substantially parallel to the central longitudinal plane of the raceway.

6. In a banding machine having means for feeding and guiding a wire into a raceway to form a banding loop and for withdrawing the loop from the raceway and contracting the same about an object, a guide means adapted to be engaged by the loop upon withdrawal thereof from the raceway for guiding the contracting loop from the raceway to said object, said guide means being movably mounted so that each moving point thereof is in a plane substantially parallel to the central longitudinal plane of the raceway, said guide means being adapted to release said wire when the loop is substantially completely contracted about said object.

7. In a banding machine having means for feeding and guiding a wire into a raceway to form a banding loop and for withdrawing the loop from the raceway and contracting the same about an object, a guide means pivotally mounted adjacent the raceway and adapted to be engaged by the loop upon withdrawal thereof from the raceway and moved inwardly so that each moving point thereof is in a plane substantially parallel to the central longitudinal plane of the raceway for guiding the loop from the raceway to the object, said guide means being adapted to release said loop when the latter is substantially completely contracted about said object, and means for returning said guide means to its initial position after releasing said wire. x

8. In a banding machine having means for feeding and guiding a wire into a raceway to form a banding loop and for contracting said bers yieldingly engaging each other at their opposite ends and being adapted to allow the wire to be drawn therebetween whenthe loop is substantially completely contracted about said ohlect.

9. In a machine having reversible means for feeding wirefrom a supply and for retracting a portion of the fed wire, the combination therewith of take-up means including a guide against which the retracting wire is adapted to abut to deflect the retracting wire into said take-up means.

10. The machine defined in claim 9 wherein the take-up means comprises a storage member, and yieldable spring means in said storage member for holding said wire therein.

11. In a banding machine, means for forming a loop on an end fed from a supply of wire and for contracting the loop by retracting a portion of the fed wire, and guide means disposed in the,

path of the retracting wire and against which the retracting wire is adapted to abut to deflect the latter away from the ,path travelled on its forward movement.

12. In a banding machine, means for forming a loop on an end fed from a supply of wire and for contracting the loop by retracting a portion of the fed wire, guide means disposed in the path of the retracting wire and against which the retracting wire is adapted to abut to deflect the latter away from the path travelled on its forward movement, and means for storing the deflected wire.

13. In a machine having a raceway for forming a loop on an end fed from a continuous strand of wire and including a means for contracting the loop and tensioning it about an oblect by retracting a portion of the fed wire, the combination therewith of means for guiding the contracting loop from the raceway to the object movably mounted so that the path of each moving point thereof is in a plane substantially parallel to the central longitudinal plane of the raceway.

14. In a machine having a raceway for forming a loop on an end fed from a continuous strand of wire and including a means for contracting the loop and tensioning it about an object by retracting a portion of the fed wire, the combination therewith of means for guiding the contracting loop from the raceway to the object movably mounted so that the path of each moving point thereof is in a plane substantially parallel to the central longitudinal plane of the raceway, said last named means being operated by the retracting wire. i

15. In a banding machine, means for feeding wire from a supply into loop form and for contracting the loop by retracting a portion of the fed wire, guide means against which the retracting wire is adapted to be deflected from its path of forward movement, means for severing the contracted loop from the strand and connecting the ends thereof together, and means for storing the deflected wire.

17. An apparatus for withdrawing wire from a supply to produce a torsion strain in the wire and for handing an object with such wire, comprising a platform for supporting the object, mechanism for forming a banding loop and for contracting the loop about the object, and means for securing the ends of the contracted loop together, said mechanism being mounted for movement to bring a portion of the contracted loop adjacent the plane of said platform, and a flexible guide means for guiding the wire to said mechanism.

18. In a banding machine, mechanism for withdrawing wire from a supply source to a position of use and for retracting the excess wire required at said position, the combination therewith of a flexible guide means for guiding the wire between the supply source and said mechanism to permit relative movement of the wire between said supply source and said mechanism.

19. In a banding machine comprising means for feeding wire from a supply to a position of use and for retracting the excess wire required at said position by reversing the direction of movement of the wire, a sheave about which the wire is adapted to be trained in its forward movement, and a deflector member adjacent said sheave, said deflector member being adapted to deflect the wire in its reverse movement away from said sheave.

20. The combination set forth in claim 19 characterized by the provision of a tubular member for receiving the wire deflected away from said sheave, said tubular member having spaced spring means for yieldingly holding said wire therein.

21. In a banding machine, a curved raceway having a groove therein for forming wire into a banding loop, and a cover movable laterally of the groove for retaining the wire therein, said cover having spring fingers formed integral therewith and engaging said raceway to yield- -ingly urge said cover to a position closing said groove.

22. The combination of claim 21 of which the edge of the cover facing the groove is beveled.

23. In a banding machine, means for retracting wire previously fed to a position of use from a supply, take-up means comprising a pair of sheaves between which the wire passes in being fed to and retracted from said position, and a tubular member for receiving the retracting wire, said tubular member having a portion against which the retracting wire abuts to deflect the wire into said tubular member.

ERNEST ROBERT WORKMAN. 

